Attention: Dog runners

Calliope610

Good morning. I have a 7wk old Australian Cattle Dog (ACD) puppy and I am leash training her. I know she will be a great fitness partner once both she and I get our acts together. I'm starting C25K and she is figuring out the leash.

Any guidelines about what to expect from her, how long it will take until she can do C25K with me. I take her out daily on the leash and we run and walk until she tires, about 15 minutes.

I'm just impatient and want a running partner NOW!

btsinmd

Just like children, she should not be drilled and expected to run with you until her bones set. That can happen anytime between 8 months and 2 years, with the smallest dogs on the younger side and the larger dogs on the older. It can vary a lot, even within a breed, based on when she matures and when she reaches her adult height.

When she does start you want to keep it short and slow for a bit. Also off pavement as much as possible until you know she's reached her adult height and filled out to her adult weight.

Until then she should learn to walk with you and should have plenty of free-running and playing time with you, like fetch.

melaniecheeks

You're going to have to be a lot more patient! The rough guide is 5 minutes per month, so a 2 month old pup should only be getting a 10 minute WALK a day. You really need to wait till her bones have properly formed, or you risk causing serious injuries to her legs.

But it'll be great when she's older - my 5 year old Weimaraner is a fantastic pace-keeper!

hsmart603

I have a 6 month old american bulldog/boxer mix and I agree with everyone, you don't want to push your puppy hard until she is older. a good romp in the yard is a good workout but you don't want to "Force" a hard run on such a young dog. My dog is drained when we take a 25 minute walk at the park and she is 6 months going at a slow pace letting her sniff and stuff she is bouncy though lol. I started when she was 4 months going on 10-15 minute walks and she is more then happy with that somedays. She is also being trained as a frisbee dog but She isn't allowed to jump for it . I do short throws near the ground for 10-20 minutes so she gets used to chasing it but I don't want her hurting herself so no air throwing till she is atleast 1-2 years old. Pay close attention to your pup though because even though my dog could go longer with walks her body tells me when she's getting tired. Dogs sometimes don't know when to stop so you need to make sure you stop them. Good Luck

carrieous

All i can say is good luck! We have an 8 month old pit-lab mix who is nuts and strong as a bull. Last weekend while my 3 year old and i were taking her on a walk she saw a dog off its collar and charged at her (just to play, shes a lover not fighter) and snapped her leash! I'm hoping she gets better at the walks so we can do some jogging this Spring...

Azdak

Most veterinarians recommend waiting until the dog is at least 1 yr old before doing sustained running. A puppy is not a wind-up toy. I think it is also important to train the dog to walk properly and have some leash discipline as well. Daily walks with puppies are important times for learning and developing a relationship with the owner. I don't think it's a good idea to short-change that process. Sometimes I think it is hard to remember that when you get a puppy, it will really be a year or two before you get the actual dog you had in mind.

This is an area of concern of mine and a strong personal opinion, so put my remarks in context. I have mixed feelings about the issue of people running with dogs in general. I know that many people--maybe even the majority--are conscientious and the dogs love it and its a great experience, but I also see a lot of people who are both selfish and clueless and drag their dogs around under conditions that are not appropriate. Be patient.

tabbydog

I agree that you should wait until the dog is quite a bit older before having her run with you. She is a baby still, and just like a human needs time to grow and develop and can get injured easily before she is mature. I should think that by the time she is 9-10 months old you should be able to start adding short jogging spurts into your walks (think C25K for her at that point) to get her conditioned to running. By the time she is 1-1.5 years old she should be able to run with you, provided she is conditioned. Beter to err on the side of caution so that she can run with you for a long time to come. I have a boxer that runs with me, and she loves to go, but I have to be careful of temperature extremes. If it's too hot I leave her at home. Same with the cold, she has a coat, but she hates her boots so if it is too cold I can't take her either because her feet freeze. Also, think about hot pavement in the sunshine in summer (they can badly burn their feet on hot pavement), carryng enough water to share with her (my dog has learned to drink from a water bottel without getting her lips on it :laugh: ) etc... Just make sure your dog is comfortable and having fun. They are the best running partners because they will never say no! For this reason you sometimes have to make the decision to leave them home, for their own good. Have fun and good luck! :flowerforyou:

Calliope610

Thank you all for your comments. I hope I didn't give everyone the wrong impression. I'm not dragging my poor little puppy behind me as I train. I am very mindful of training her correctly so she has a positive experience with collars, leashes and walking. I just want to do it right.

I have never had a ACD and have been kinda concerned about being able to provide for her physical and mental activity requirements. I don't want her to become a bored, depressed pooch because I don't get off of the couch. I have to remember that is for a adult dog.

I think I forget that at 7-8wks, she is still just a "toddler", if that, and this should be a fun experience for her. So for now, we will do 10 minute walk several times a week so she can learn her leash manners, and as she grows, increase the length of our walks. I'm sure she will let me know when she is ready to do more.

Thank you again.

RekindledRose

One thing to consider if you run where people are cycling, as in on a bike trail where pedestrians and cyclists share the road; don't get one of those retracting leashes. Teach your dog to heal next to you.

I've seen some clueless people with those leashes, and they'll be on one side of the path with their dog on the other side. Talk about an accident waiting to happen!

And don't forget the doggy poopy bags!

Duck_Puddle

All i can say is good luck! We have an 8 month old pit-lab mix who is nuts and strong as a bull. Last weekend while my 3 year old and i were taking her on a walk she saw a dog off its collar and charged at her (just to play, shes a lover not fighter) and snapped her leash! I'm hoping she gets better at the walks so we can do some jogging this Spring...

Right there with you. We have a 15 month old yellow lab-satan mix. She's horrible on the leash still (and good lord we've been working on it). I think she would actually enjoy going for a run with me-but it's SO not happening right now because she's awful on the leash and because the vet said wait til she's 2-maybe by then we will have figured out the leash thing. We have an older dog too-he was a saint (even as a puppy). The puppy....omg

carrieous

our "puppy" has now broken about 4 collars and 1 leashes. She just gets so excited she rips right off of them. We've started using a small choke collar which helps a little (not the kind with spikes, but hte kind that gets tighter) but that was what she was wearing when she broke the leash last weekend:/

carrieous

and if thats your dog in your profile pic, he looks just like ours only ours is dark brown!

oddyogi

I would definitely also wait until she has all of her shots to take her outside where other dogs are walked.

Duck_Puddle

and if thats your dog in your profile pic, he looks just like ours only ours is dark brown!

Yeah-that's the demon spawn. She's only broken 2 leashes, and the only collar she broke is the one she chewed off (I have no idea how she spun around to reach it-she's possessed, must have had an exorcist moment). Really, we went to training, we work with her for hours a day-it's not like we've never had dogs before. I think it's the "satan" part of the mix that's giving us the trouble lol. The lab part just eats everything.

HealthyBodySickMind

In addition to everyone else's concerns about her bones and vaccines, also be sure to keep an eye on her foot pads. If you're running on pavement, her little foot pads need to be given time to build up callous or you can wear holes in them. A dog will sometimes continue as if nothing is wrong, even with open sores on her feet.

Starting her on dirt paths would be better for both her bones and her feet.

efranz12

I agree with the other posters but would also encourage you to discuss it with your vet the next time they visit; they know your dog personally and can probably give you some good advice.

From personal experience I can tell you that my biggest issue with running my pup is his will to please- he loves to run and loves to make me happy. One day we got home from our regular 3 mile run on the bike path and I found that one of his feet was bleeding. He didn't say a word and wasn't limping but he was hurt. Just a reminder to be extra vigilant as "the human" because the dogs will often do whatever we ask even if it hurts them.

JenRunTriHappyGirl

We have 2 bassetts that are 9 years old. We get the leashes out and they get excited.... we make it about a tenth of a mile before they start looking at us like "okay, we're done now." So, we head home and they crash!

3laine75

I' not too sure if that's a big dog or not? I have a German Shepherd and I know you cannot walk or run them for any length of time when they are puppies (hips etc) and the same is true for Rottweilers because their bodies are too heavy for their legs when they're younger.

I wished I'd run with my boy when he was younger, he's an old man now at 12 - still pretty fast though if he sees a rabbit, cat, sheep, fox, bird, leaf etc

OddChoices

Take it easy on the puppy... She will need to be at least a year old to run long distances.

christinehetz80

Hmm.....there is a facebook site called pooch to 5k you may want to check in with them....they have great information. I personally don't take my chi past 3.5-4 miles and I always listen to his cues...if he needs to scale back we do. I don't take him for my long runs or more than a couple of times a week, I also checked with the vet and she said he is healthy as a horse.

Muddy_Yogi

Just like children, she should not be drilled and expected to run with you until her bones set. That can happen anytime between 8 months and 2 years, with the smallest dogs on the younger side and the larger dogs on the older. It can vary a lot, even within a breed, based on when she matures and when she reaches her adult height.

When she does start you want to keep it short and slow for a bit. Also off pavement as much as possible until you know she's reached her adult height and filled out to her adult weight.

Until then she should learn to walk with you and should have plenty of free-running and playing time with you, like fetch.

THIS! Make sure you check with the vet to make sure the puppy is ok to start running. Last thing you want to do is mess up joints or cause early knee issues.

bcf7683

our "puppy" has now broken about 4 collars and 1 leashes. She just gets so excited she rips right off of them. We've started using a small choke collar which helps a little (not the kind with spikes, but hte kind that gets tighter) but that was what she was wearing when she broke the leash last weekend:/

I have a pitt/terrier mix. The only way he would learn was using the choke collar. I never used to think I would use one of those on a dog, but my little guy would keep pulling until he was about to crush his own wind pipe with a regular collar. With the choke collar he stops as soon as it starts to pinch is neck flub. Also, we started using very thick rope leashes with him. The regular leashes were nothing for him. He'd snap 5 a week before we started using the ropes. We also have a steel cable cord with plastic/rubber coating that we use when he's tied up outside with us in case he tries taking off after any critters. He's gotten used to the system now, he's usually pretty behaved... it only took 3 years

taiyola

I have a Jack Russell cross Chihuahua who's now 11 and fit as anything! Couple of years ago I used to take him jogging and what I used to do is let him off the lead, jog laps around the field and then I'd jog the last mile with him on the lead by my side. That would be the hardest part for both of us - 12 minutes constant jogging!

Hadabetter

This is an area of concern of mine and a strong personal opinion, so put my remarks in context. I have mixed feelings about the issue of people running with dogs in general. I know that many people--maybe even the majority--are conscientious and the dogs love it and its a great experience, but I also see a lot of people who are both selfish and clueless and drag their dogs around under conditions that are not appropriate. Be patient.

I would like to add that where you live, running dogs in the summer heat can be fatal. Remember that they have no sweat glands and the air they breath for cooling themselves 12-18 inches above the ground may be 30+ hotter than the air temperature you feel. And keep off the pavement.

Personally I would rather see you get a human running buddy that can choose to run or not. A dog will run itself to death just to please you.

Zelinna

I haven't run with my dog in a couple of years, but when I did I found that she did not enjoy it. I would run with her for 25-30 min in the mornings and she would get bored with the constant pace. She needed be able to stop and sniff to get caught up with what was happening in the neighborhood. If I was able to run with her off leash, I am sure she would have enjoyed herself a lot more.

She is a high energy dog that can run and play for hours, but running at a constant pace just isn't for her.

tabbydog

This is an area of concern of mine and a strong personal opinion, so put my remarks in context. I have mixed feelings about the issue of people running with dogs in general. I know that many people--maybe even the majority--are conscientious and the dogs love it and its a great experience, but I also see a lot of people who are both selfish and clueless and drag their dogs around under conditions that are not appropriate. Be patient.

I would like to add that where you live, running dogs in the summer heat can be fatal. Remember that they have no sweat glands and the air they breath for cooling themselves 12-18 inches above the ground may be 30+ hotter than the air temperature you feel. And keep off the pavement.

Personally I would rather see you get a human running buddy that can choose to run or not. A dog will run itself to death just to please you.

This is important. I don't take my dog over certain temperatures/humidity levels. Up to 75 degrees she is okay for 3 miles or so, up to 65-70 degrees 3-5 miles, below 65 degrees she is good for up to 12. And will run laps around the house when we get back afterwards. As I stagger up the drive. :laugh: I always carry enough water for both of us (I don't let her drink out of puddles or ditches on the side of the road because of oil and such that could be in the water).

skinnyheather

All i can say is good luck! We have an 8 month old pit-lab mix who is nuts and strong as a bull. Last weekend while my 3 year old and i were taking her on a walk she saw a dog off its collar and charged at her (just to play, shes a lover not fighter) and snapped her leash! I'm hoping she gets better at the walks so we can do some jogging this Spring...

Right there with you. We have a 15 month old yellow lab-satan mix. She's horrible on the leash still (and good lord we've been working on it). I think she would actually enjoy going for a run with me-but it's SO not happening right now because she's awful on the leash and because the vet said wait til she's 2-maybe by then we will have figured out the leash thing. We have an older dog too-he was a saint (even as a puppy). The puppy....omg

Try a harness where the leash hooks in the front (at the chest) not on top (between the shoulder blades). This made a HUGE difference when we were leash training our lab-pit mix. By having the leash hook in the front it doesn't allow them to pull, because if they do it just turns them sideways and they don't make any progress. Bonus: It's really funny the first time they run and pull with all their strength and end up facing you Hahahahaha!!!! Seriously though, it made an instant difference and walking/running is much more enjoyable.

Zelinna

Try a harness where the leash hooks in the front (at the chest) not on top (between the shoulder blades). This made a HUGE difference when we were leash training our lab-pit mix. By having the leash hook in the front it doesn't allow them to pull, because if they do it just turns them sideways and they don't make any progress. Bonus: It's really funny the first time they run and pull with all their strength and end up facing you Hahahahaha!!!! Seriously though, it made an instant difference and walking/running is much more enjoyable.

These harnesses are great for teaching your dog to walk properly, but they are not great for running. They can rub the skin raw when running, and somewhat restrict the movement of the front legs. Mine will rub my dog's hair off even with just walking.

abbyrae1

you shouldn't take her on long walks yet, she's not old enough or big enough. Her little puppy body is still growing and "over walking" her can do serious damage to her joints. I would say 1/2 mile until she's 12 wks, 3/4 mile until she's about 6 months old, then maybe longer but start her out slow!

Hadabetter

This is an area of concern of mine and a strong personal opinion, so put my remarks in context. I have mixed feelings about the issue of people running with dogs in general. I know that many people--maybe even the majority--are conscientious and the dogs love it and its a great experience, but I also see a lot of people who are both selfish and clueless and drag their dogs around under conditions that are not appropriate. Be patient.

I would like to add that where you live, running dogs in the summer heat can be fatal. Remember that they have no sweat glands and the air they breath for cooling themselves 12-18 inches above the ground may be 30+ hotter than the air temperature you feel. And keep off the pavement.

Personally I would rather see you get a human running buddy that can choose to run or not. A dog will run itself to death just to please you.

This is important. I don't take my dog over certain temperatures/humidity levels. Up to 75 degrees she is okay for 3 miles or so, up to 65-70 degrees 3-5 miles, below 65 degrees she is good for up to 12. And will run laps around the house when we get back afterwards. As I stagger up the drive. :laugh: I always carry enough water for both of us (I don't let her drink out of puddles or ditches on the side of the road because of oil and such that could be in the water).

65 degrees where she lives is now, in the middle of winter.

et57

ACD's are first and foremost working dogs bred to herd cattle and sheep. This breed does like to be busy but running may not be the best choice of activity for your dog because they require a lot of mental stimulation to keep them from becoming bored and resorting to anxiety behaviors (ie, excessive licking and developing hot spots). Have you considered agility training for your dog when it is the appropriate age? It is a lot of fun for the dog and keeps them mentally stimulated. Their humans usually get a lot of enjoyment out of it too.